The present invention relates, in general, to flamon devices and, in particular, to a new and useful device and method of determining a flame-on condition and for optimizing the efficiency and safety of the burner used to generate the flame.
Devices are known which remotely sense whether a flame from a burner is on or off. One such device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,468 to Sims discloses the use of an electromagnetic antenna provided in the vicinity of a flame. Flames are known to naturally generate electromagnetic waves which, according to the Sims patent, are picked up by the antenna. Sims provides an ultrasonic signal to the burner to artifically produce variations in the flame at a characteristic frequency.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 3,233,650 to Cleall, different compression-rarefaction wave frequencies can be utilized for different burners to provide each burner with a separate characteristic that can be detected to indicate which of the burners are producing a flame and which are not.
Other relevant patents in understanding the present invention are U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,125 to Katorsky and 2,460,314 to Thompson.